Evan Lee –
Drawn from Memory
May 1 to June 8, 2008

Opening Reception:
Wednesday, April 30th, 6-8 pm
Artist in attendance.

The Monte Clark Gallery Toronto is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of new works by Vancouver-based artist Evan Lee .

Evan Lee’s recent black and white images were photographed in a near documentary style. While some of the works are documentary depictions, others are more or less created from real events. Shot over the past few years, Lee has moved away from the photographic experiments and still life images that he is typically known for, to subjects that stem from the everyday world. He captures elements of daily life – some are accurate reflections of reality while others are recreations of scenarios inspired by past ideas and memories. The people shown in these photographs are all familiar to the artist, which results in a unique personalized portrayal of Vancouver.

As the images came together as a series, various themes materialized reflecting Lee’s thoughts, experiences and influences. One idea most evident in this body of work is the artist’s concerns with life and death. Shortly after Lee took a photograph of his grandmother entitled Portrait of the Artist’s Grandmother, she passed away. This theme is further developed in Hedge Entrance, Mountainview Cemetery, which focuses on the skeletal twigs and branches of a cut hedge that separate a cemetery from a residential neighborhood.

In addition to the images, Lee has produced a series of pencil drawings created from a photographic study of elderly Chinese women. Realizing the individuality and uniqueness of each woman was lost in the photographs, Lee chose to invest more of himself through the act of drawing. This time and medium allowed him to work more closely with his subjects, imbuing them with distinct personalities through their gestures, clothing and postures.

Evan Lee studied at the University of British Columbia where he received a BFA and MFA. In 2006 a book of his works entitled “Captures” was published by Presentation House Gallery. Lee lives and works in Vancouver.